


NOW That They Were a Couple

by TWDObsessive



Series: The Couple [2]
Category: The Walking Dead & Related Fandoms, The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Bad Flirting, Bottom Rick, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff and Smut, For real- he has a pocket protector, Idiots in Love, M/M, Protective Daryl, Rick is a Dork
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-17
Updated: 2016-05-17
Packaged: 2018-06-08 23:46:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6880453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TWDObsessive/pseuds/TWDObsessive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Now that they were a couple, here’s how things are working out for Rick and Daryl.  </p><p>This is the continuation of a fic I wrote a long time ago called <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/5160461">Not That They Were a Couple</a>.  You can read this alone, but I highly recommend reading or re-reading the first part in the series to get the maximum enjoyment.</p>
            </blockquote>





	NOW That They Were a Couple

**Author's Note:**

> Unbeta'd! And writing this as a little distraction from the next long fic!

Now that they were a couple, Daryl made an effort not to clomp muddy boots through the house. In fact, he made an effort to make sure _nobody_ clomped muddy boots through the house. So when Eugene walked in after a run on a rainy day, he was greeted with Daryl's folded arms and dark stare. 

“‘’the fuck, Eugene?”

“What?” the awkward man asked, completely oblivious.

“There's a damn doormat out there, man. It literally says ‘Wipe Your Feet or Go Away’.”

Eugene took two filthy steps backward and opened the door again to look. Sure enough, there was the doormat.

“I thought it was just ironic.”

“What's ironic is you still standing in our house with muddy boots,” Daryl said.

Now that they were a couple, Rick and Daryl had their own home. The others had moved to different houses down the street and now this one was for the Grimes family only- Rick, Daryl, Carl and Judith. Although most nights many of the others came over for dinner because now that they were a couple, they liked to entertain together.

Daryl kept a firm eye on Eugene until he finally stepped out, wiped his feet and came back inside looking at the mud and dirt he'd left the first time.

“Are you the half of this power couple in charge of cleaning up unintentionally muddied hardwoods?”

Daryl was not the half of this power couple in charge of cleaning up unintentionally muddied hardwoods. In fact, he was the half that usually made the mess. But Rick was his man now, and he didn't want his man to be disappointed. Although... he wouldn't mind seeing Rick on his hands and knees cleaning up the floor. By all rights, they should be starting to give Carl chores around the house, but the kid was growing up in the apocalypse and wasn’t that enough for a teen to deal with? Now that they were a couple, they sometimes disagreed on what was right for Carl. But they always talked it out and parented him together to do the best they could under the circumstances.

“Nah. Leave it,” Daryl said and turned back to the kitchen as Eugene followed him. Judith was in a high chair playing with some letter blocks and the pot on the stove was steaming, making the house smell like pantry-pilfered paprika and squirrel.

“What dya’ need?” Daryl asked as he stirred the stew and placed the spoon on an actual spoon rest. Now that they were a couple, Daryl tried to leave the kitchen a little cleaner than he used to. Rick worked hard all day dealing with safe zone politics and sheltered, spoiled Alexandrians. So Daryl could put in a little extra effort in the cleaning department.

“I haven’t been able to procure an item I'm in need of on my runs. If you and Rick were looking too, I'd increase my likelihood of finding said item, threefold.”

Daryl sat by Judith and made a tower of letter blocks using a B, an A and a D. “Well, what is it yer lookin’ for?” he asked, as Judith knocked the little tower down.

“That's right Judith! You ain't B-A-D, bad, are you, baby girl?” He looked up to Eugene. “Did you see that? You see how smart she is?” Now that they were a couple, Judith felt even more like Daryl's own daughter than she already had. And it was important for her to be praised.

“She can knock down some squares. That's about on par for her age range, but consider me completely in awe of her technique.”

“On par? You callin’ her average?” Daryl asked, eyes narrowed, a hand protectively resting on his daughter’s shoulder.

Eugene quickly shook his head. “No. I'm just saying that knowing those blocks spelled ‘bad’ is not yet within her skill set. I did, however express my awe of her strategy. Going low on the blocks ensures that all of them would, indeed, tumble.”

“Her skill set?” Daryl stood like a mama bear fiercely protective of its cub. “You realize this baby girl is growin’ up in the damn apocalypse? Knew when to be quiet when we was out there, didn't she? Knows how to finish all her food cause she don't waste. Knows how to be entertained by suckin’ on my fingers when there ain't no toys for her cause we’s stuck in a some barn without even a crib for her to sleep in. And-”

Eugene raised his hands in surrender. “I believe you misunderstand my reason for visiting today. I just need a rhinestone ponytail holder.”

“You need a what?” Rick asked as he walked into the kitchen. Daryl lit up. All of Eugene’s babble had kept him from being able to hear the front door open.

“Hey, baby,” Daryl said and he rushed to Rick to plant a kiss on his lips regardless of who else was in the room. Now that they were a couple, they had no interest in hiding it. And there was no reason to anyway because everyone they’d been with before Alexandria and since had already thought they were a couple.

“There’s mud in the front hall,” Rick whispered against Daryl’s lips.

“Eugene did it,” Daryl responded as he slowly and regretfully pulled away before he started rutting into his man despite the current company. Rick turned to Eugene and cocked his head, clearly waiting for an explanation.

“In my defence, it’s the apocalypse,” Eugene simply said. Rick looked past him and walked over to Judith. 

“How’s my baby girl today?” he coo’d.

“Rick… Rick… she can spell bad!” Daryl said excitedly.

“Well, actually,” Eugene started, but after Rick and Daryl both turned to glare at him, he left the rest of the sentence unfinished.

Rick picked Judith up and propped her on his hip and praised her. Then he praised Daryl, because now that they were a couple, Rick knew how important that was to his lover. “Smells good in here, darlin’. Whatcha cookin?” he asked.

“Squirrel.”

“Real squirrel? Or ‘we’re telling Michonne it’s squirrel’?”

“Real squirrel this time. With paprika and water chestnuts,” Daryl answered proudly. Rick walked to the stove and stirred at the pot with one hand while kissing Judith on the forehead. Now that they were a couple, Rick liked to try to help Daryl in the kitchen, even if it’s just stirring, cutting vegetables and giving encouragement. Daryl got up at the crack of dawn every day to hunt and sometimes he’d be gone days at a time to recruit with Aaron and he deserved some help.

Daryl finally remembered Eugene was standing there waiting on some ridiculous thing he needed. “What did you need us to keep an eye out for? A barrett?”

“No, not a barrett. A barrett just pulls hair back. Rositta likes to tie hers in a pony tail. Sometimes she likes to put it in two pigtails but it’s going to be too difficult to find one of these things so I don’t hold out any realistic hope of finding two.”

Rick’s lips twitched into smile and he shared a knowing glance with Daryl who was already pulling out a chair for Eugene. “Sit,” Daryl instructed as he sat in a chair of his own.

“Why exactly does it need to have Rhinestones?” Rick asked as he handed Judith to Daryl and started getting out glasses to serve some of Daryl’s lemonade. It wasn’t fresh squeezed, it was Crystal Light packets. But it was better than anyone else’s lemonade because Daryl made it.

“Well girls like jewelry. It’s the number one gift to signify affection. I can’t get her a necklace or bracelet in the apocalypse. A walker could grab on to that and drag her down to her own demise and then I’d have to live with that and I don’t think I’d be capable of doing such. It’s too soon for a ring. That’s not customary at this stage of the woo’ing cycle. One of her hair ties broke yesterday and I thought it would be practical to get her a new one and I could kill two birds with one stone if I got one with jewels in it. Cause girls like jewelry.”

“So does she know you have a crush on her?” Daryl asked as Rick put lemonades out on the table.

“I know what you’re thinking. That I don’t have a chance with a woman like that.”

Rick and Daryl both shook their heads and tried to keep straight faces.

“No,” Rick said.

“That’s not at all what we were thinkin’,” Daryl added.

“I take no offense,” Eugene insisted as he picked up a lemonade and took a sip. “Rosita is a beautiful woman. Confident. Sexy. Smart. She could have any man in the world. The thing is, thanks to the apocalypse, the world is in short supply of man so my odds just went up. She’s hurtin’ now from the break-up with Abe, and I do believe I have the ability to be a strong comfort to a woman going through that kind of heartache.”

“So does she know you like her?” Daryl asked again.

“Let’s be honest, everyone knows I like her. Just like everyone knew Rick was in love with you,” he said to Daryl.

“Hey!,” Rick gasped, “He was in love with me too. Everyone knew that too.”

“Of course they did, baby,” Daryl soothed. They shared a glance and they communicated, unspoken, a promise that they both would search high and low to find Eugene what he needed. Now that they were a couple, they wanted other people to be couples. In this world that was some days terrifying, some days sorrowful and on its best days, just plain exhausting, being a couple made it worth waking up each morning. It gave hope and happiness and in all honesty the ability to escape it all with amazingly powerful sex. Now that they were a couple, their awkward, just-learning-the-ropes sex had become very comfortable and very satisfying. 

“We’ll find ya what ya need,” Daryl said.

“That would be a bonafide godsend. I thank you both. In an effort to offer a similar gesture, is there anything you would like to increase your odds of finding by having me be on a lookout as well?” Eugene offered as he stood.

Rick and Daryl looked at each other and then back at Eugene.

“Lube,” Rick answered without cracking a smile.

Eugene looked uncomfortably to Judith who was sucking on Daryl’s fingers and giggling.

“Don’t worry. She can’t even spell ‘bad’, much less understand what lube is for,” Daryl deadpanned.

“Well, I appreciate your efforts in my search for a suitable object for Rosita. So I will most definitely keep an eye out for your lubrication needs,” Eugene said as he made his way to the front door. “Um- if there is an option for a flavored lubrication, what is your preference?” he called from the door.

“Strawberry!” Rick yelled as Daryl snickered and bumped his shoulder. 

After Eugene was gone, Rick stood to take Judith for her nap. 

“You know we got like thirteen bottles of lube from that sex shop Aaron and I stumbled across last week, right?”

“Oh yeah. I know. I just thought it’d be funny. Time to put her down. You think this stew will be ok on simmer for a while? Maybe we can take a look at that lube inventory. I have a taste for strawberries now,” Rick said with a wink.

Now that they were a couple, they sometimes fooled around right there in the middle of the damn day. Or at night in their shared bedroom, quiet because Carl was in the house. Or first thing in the morning before Judith woke up. Or in Aaron’s garage if Daryl happened to be looking particularly sexy with his sweat-soaked hair and muscled arms working on the bike. Or in the makeshift jail cell when Michonne was out dealing with trouble and Rick was looking particularly gorgeous in his uniform with his low-slung gun belt and messy curls.

Once Rick had rocked Judith to sleep he found Daryl waiting on their bed with a book. Rick walked in and crawled onto the bed, trying too hard for sexy and just making Daryl giggle instead. Now that they were a couple, sex wasn’t always serious and passionate. It was sometimes funny. Sometimes accident prone. (Daryl still had a giant bruise on his hip from a new position that didn’t quite pan out.) Sometimes planned, sometimes spontaneous and always affectionate.

Daryl put his book down and smiled at his lover. “Is that an actual pocket protector in your pocket? Please tell me I’m having a seizure and not actually seeing this.”

Rick stopped trying for sexy and sat up, pulling his pocket protector and pens out of his pocket. “I don’t want a pen to leak on this outfit. We need to conserve the Tide. It’s the apocalypse.”

“Oh my God, you are such a dork.”

“Good thing you didn’t find that out until we already became a couple. I have you now, it’s too late to think I’m too dorky for you,” Rick flirted as he batted his eyes and twisted a lock of his hair in a way he knew drove Daryl crazy. Now that they were a couple they knew what each other liked. Daryl liked Rick’s curls. And Rick was forbidden to EVER cut them again. Daryl liked kissing Rick’s soft lips and sucking on fingers. He liked sleepy morning sex best and he gave the best damn blow jobs Rick had ever had in his life. 

Daryl knew that Rick liked his arms. He usually wore sleeveless shirts anyway, but now he would very purposefully never wear sleeves again. Rick liked having his nipples played with and he loved it when Daryl looked up at him and met his eyes while he was sucking Rick’s cock.

The pocket protector discarded, Daryl ran fingers into Rick’s hair and parted his lips for his lover’s kiss. Rick covered Daryl’s body with his own as their lips met. Before long they were both hard and eager and they broke the kiss so each could yank off shirts and wiggle out of pants.

“Did you lock the door?” Daryl asked as Rick started peppering his collarbone with kisses.

“Umm… I think so,” Rick murmured.

Daryl stopped Rick and held his head in his hands, forcing eye contact. “You think so, or you did? Because Carl keeps almost catching us and I can’t take that judgemental brow, man.” Rick looked at Daryl and opened his mouth to speak but paused.

Daryl lifted his own brow in suspicion. “Are you considering lying to me about the door?” Daryl asked as he ran his hands along Rick’s hips.

“Yes,” Rick answered definitively. Daryl rolled his eyes and stood up, walking quickly to the door and locking it, since it was, indeed, left unlocked. When he turned back Rick was on his knees waiting for him on their bed. His curls were already askew from the kissing they already started with and his farmer’s tan was downright adorable. Now that they were a couple, they didn’t have to keep their thoughts a secret anymore. They told each other everything.

“You are so fucking hot, Rick. I swear to christ I could bust a nut right here just from looking at you.”

“Awww…. You always say the most romantic thangs, darlin’” Rick giggled as Daryl knelt on the bed too and proceeded to kiss the shit out of him.

“You wanna be the catcher tonight?” Daryl asked between nibbles and kisses. Rick laughed as Daryl’s hands dropped down and rubbed over his ass. “Cause I’ve kinda been going through this phase where I can’t stop staring at your ass and I really need to get in there.”

Rick sat back on the bed and reached for their nightstand drawer. A dozen plus bottles of lube banged around as the drawer was tugged open. Rick grabbed one without taking his eyes off of Daryl who towered over him now that Rick was sitting. He popped off the cap and threw it across the room. 

Daryl was still up on his knees. “You know that drives me wild when you get all messy and throw shit.”

“I do know that,” Rick said and he leaned back into the propped up pillows and handed the lube to his lover.

“Nuh uh,” Daryl said as he sat down indian-style in front of Rick.

“Nuh uh?”

“I want to watch you get _yourself_ ready,” Daryl said, his voice now at that low sex-tinged register. His pupils were so wide that the twilight blue of his eyes darkened like a storm turning dusk to dark night.

“I never done that before,” Rick said, his eyelashes batting quickly.

“Never sucked a dick before either until last month but look at how much you like that now,” Daryl teased.

“Shut up man, you like it too.”

“Never said I didn’t,” Daryl laughed as he took the lube, held out Rick’s hands and squirted the slippery gel onto two of Rick’s fingers. He then hugged his knees to watch.

“If you get a show, then so do I,” Rick said. He motioned with his hands. “Legs spread and stroke yourself while I’m doing it.”

“Damn, Rick! When did you get to be the kinky, bossy one?” He followed his leaders orders, spread his legs and lazily stroked his already rock-hard cock as Rick started circling his entrance with his fingers. Now that they were a couple, they liked trying new things to keep their relationship exciting. Both men devoured each other with hungry glances. Daryl’s eyes raked over Rick from his narrow hips to his tight ass to his beautiful long fingers. Rick just stared directly at Daryl’s cock.

“Quicker you get yourself ready, quicker you get it,” Daryl purred. At that, Rick plunged in the first finger, quickly followed by a second. He scissored and pumped and did all the things that the two had figured out in the past weeks of being a couple. Without words, Daryl knew Rick was ready and he got to his knees, knocked Rick’s hand away playfully and sunk his dick slowly into his lover’s tight entrance. Rick groaned the entire time, feeling the stretch and burn, his cock leaking at the feel of Daryl inside of him. Once fully seated, Daryl moved slow in and out, his eyes never leaving Rick’s as both their bodies moved as one like a boat against the swell of the ocean.

“Fuck, you feel so fucking good,” Daryl murmured. “How did I even live before I got to feel the inside of you like this?” The house was quiet, the only sound a soft scraping of branches against siding from the breeze outside. The tiniest of creeks from the bed at Daryl’s slow pull out and deep press back in. The quiet rush of air from Rick’s gasps at each thrust. Daryl made a show of slowly licking his palm, dragging his tongue long and wet from the heel of his hand to the tips of his fingers and he wrapped it around Rick’s hard cock, stroking up first to gather the precum and back down to base, then setting a rhythm that matched his own movements.

Rick’s hands slid up Daryl’s arms like they usually did and Daryl smirked. “You can’t get enough of my arms, can you, Grimes?”

“Can’t get enough of your everything,” Rick sighed sincerely. Daryl leaned in and kissed Rick’s soft pink lips, plucking at the bottom one as he moved in and out of his lover. 

“Faster,” Rick moaned, the vibrations of the moan tickling Daryl’s lips. The archer pulled back then thrust harder and faster, groans spilling from both their lips until seed was spilling from Rick’s pulsing cock, forming a puddling mess between them. The tightness and warmth of Rick finally sent Daryl over the edge and he felt himself explode as he grunted and gasped, collapsing onto his lover.

Daryl moved to pull out but Rick put arms around him and held his ass in place. “No! Not yet! I like that throbbing after. Just stay a minute, man.”

Daryl laughed as he stroked fingers gently through Rick’s sweat-damp hair, staying in place because he knew how much Rick liked it. Rick kissed sweetly at Daryl’s still-trembling lips. They laid there happy. And that was really all it was about anymore. Making one another happy was each of their most important goals in this life. Now that they were a couple, they could love each other, fully and completely. Physically and emotionally. And they did. They loved each other.

\------------------

Dressed again and back in the living room, Rick grabbed a rag and got on his hands and knees to wipe up the muddy floor. Daryl stood behind him and admired the view. 

“Daryl? Are you looking at my ass?” Rick asked.

“Yes. Yes, I am.”

Rick wiggled it flirtatiously as he continued to clean. Now that they were a couple, their flirtations had gone from subtle to ridiculously blatant.

“I was totally gonna get that for you, but I kinda didn’t want to miss this show.”

Rick looked over his shoulder at Daryl. “So how many times have you left a mess just so you could watch my ass as I clean it up?”

“Couple,” Daryl said with an innocent shrug and a smile that he knew would let him get away with anything. “You missed a spot.” Daryl pointed to smudge on the floor a little out of Rick’s reach.

“Where?” Rick asked, looking all over except for the one spot where Daryl was pointing.

“No, here,” Daryl said, leaning over him from behind, one hand pointing closer to the floor and the other resting gently on Rick’s shoulder. “That’s the spot right there,” he said soaking his words with sexual innuendo because of the position they were standing in.

“First of all,” Carl said from behind them. “I always get back here by five. Always. Every day. Second, you have a room. It’s upstairs, not in the doorway of our home. I’m an innocent child. I should not be subject to seeing my parents getting ready to do it in the same room where I play with my baby sister. She crawls on that floor, you know.”

Rick and Daryl turned to look at Carl, remaining in their awkward position as Judith started making pouty sounds upstairs. 

“Go get your sister,” Daryl said.

“Is that all you have to say?” Carl asked.

“Listen to your father,” Rick said.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! It's been too long already not seeing our boys on screen!!


End file.
